Lilly looks homeward for communications chief

Lilly named former Indianapolis mayor Bart Peterson to lead its communications and corporate affairs functions.

Peterson, who served as mayor of Indianapolis from 1999-2007, will report directly to chairman, president and CEO John Lechleiter, and will be a member of Lilly's executive and operations committees.

In his two terms as mayor of Lilly's hometown, Peterson championed charter schools and an effort to attract life sciences companies to Indianapolis, dubbed BioCrossroads.

Prior to that, he had served as chief of staff for then-Indiana Governor Evan Bayh, now a US Senator.

“Lilly is not only the premier company in Indianapolis and Indiana, more importantly, it is a company that improves the lives of people across the globe through the pharmaceuticals it makes and its comprehensive focus on patient well-being,” said Peterson in a statement. “I'm excited to join Lilly's leadership team and contribute to spreading the incredible story the company has to tell about the value of our medicines.”